Plan.Paperless

Life as student can be very difficult. There are countless deadlines and quizzes, midterms and assignments, not to mention final exams! When I’m in school, my bullet journal does so much to keep me sane! I am able to track so much, and keep it all in one place! To help you do the same, I’ve come up with 6 different bullet journal spreads that I use to help me throughout each semester! 

Spread 1: Class Schedule

How I Set It Up: To make this spread, I decided to draw a grid, and highlighted each time block where I have a class. I've taken out the information for each class, but I always include the name of the course, the course code, the location of the class and the professor's name. The grid has five columns, one for each day of the week, and 9 rows, one for each hour that I may or may not have classes. I used a different colour for each class so that I can see just how much time I spend on each subject.

Why It’s Useful: This spread is extremely useful for me to have on hand. I usually like to save it as an image so that I can compare schedules with my peers, share it with my family and fiancé, and reference it when I am trying to find time to plan events or meetings. I also like creating the schedule in Goodnotes, because the Lasso feature makes it very easy to move around, in case anything changes, and I can easily erase and rewrite any information that may not be accurate.

Variations: Some other ways to create this spread are to also include a space for any specific notes for each class, or to include the travel time between back to back classes. For example, on Mondays, I have two classes that are back to back, and it takes me about 9 minutes to walk between them. It’s definitely good to know that I have only 1 minute to spare for any delay on my way to class!

Spread 2: Course Info and Semester Overview

How I Set It Up: This spread also has 5 columns, one for each of my classes this semester. There is a row for the course title, one for the instructor’s name, one for contact information, and on for the grading scheme. The bottom half of the page is a semester overview. There is a row for each month, where I will write down the important due dates and test dates for each month. I kept the same colour code on this spread as I did on my class schedule.

Why It’s Useful: I use this spread whenever there is something about a course that I need to know. It is my dashboard for the semester. It is definitely good to know my instructors name and title, as well as their email, office location and course website(s). Last year, I created my semester at a glance on a different spread, but didn’t use it up very much, so I made it a lot smaller.

Variations: Instead of doing a Semester at a Glance portion, I was thinking about making a list of topics I would be learning throughout the semester. You could also add a section for the contact information for any Teaching Assistants, or if you submit assignments into a physical dropbox, it would be good to list the number of that dropbox somewhere on the page.

Spread 3: Assignment Tracker

How I Set It Up: Most of you have probably seen this spread on my instagram before, as I used it all last year, and it is also available on my Etsy shop (click here!). I have a column for the due date, the class name, a checklist for the questions I have to complete for that particular assignment, and wether the assignment has been completed or not.

Why It’s Useful: This is one of my most used spreads for my academics. Since I am a math major, my classes are heavily assignment based, and they are usually questions from a textbook or written by the professor. This tracker helps me to see what assignments I have on the go, as well as my progress on them. The checklist for each question helps me to keep track of which questions I have completed, especially since I haven’t done them in order. I also like to keep track if I have written a good copy of the question as well. Before using this tracker there were instances where I would complete the question, but fail to put it onto the copy of my assignment that I handed in! This assignment tracker has definitely come in handy! This specific format may not be helpful for students who’s assignments consist mainly of essay or presentation style questions.

Variations: A column that could be added could be one for the grade received on the assignment. Furthermore, if your assignments are more essay based, instead of making a checklist in the questions section, you could write down the thesis or topic of your essay, paper or presentation. You could also include the date assigned and the date due as two separate columns. Another way to track an essay’s progress would be to make a checklist for each paragraph planned, and any other portions (such as a bibliography) that must be included. A column could also be included where you make a note of the file type your professor requires you to submit your assignment in.

Spread 4: Time Tracker

How I Set It Up: This is a spread that has shown up on my instagram numerous times, and I also have an entire blog post dedicated to it (Click here to read it!) It is also a template that is available in my Etsy shop (Click here to buy it!). For this spread, I have divided the day into 15 minute increments, and I have included a column at the side where I write down the date, the key to my colour code for the day, a section for any notes that need to be written, a section to write down what I ate, and lastly a space for a time allocation bar graph so that I can see where my day was spent.

Why It’s Useful: To read 5 reasons why I track my time, check out the blog post linked above! But, more specifically to school related reasons, I use my time tracker spread to plan my day out and keep myself accountable. Especially during exam time, I used to procrastinate and then wonder why I was so pressed on time to study for my finals! When I started using my time tracking spread, I became much more diligent in staying on task, which definitely helped me with my exams!

Variations: This format can be made as complicated or as simple as needed. It can be a much more simple grid, it can be divided into smaller or larger time increments, depending on what is suitable, and there is no need for a time to be associated each increment. To see another version of this (and where I got the idea) check out Matt Ragland’s video. (Click here!)

Spread 5: Semester Memories

How I Set It Up: I kept this spread really simple. I took time to create an elaborate heading, but other than that the spread is essentially a blank page. I plan to fill the space with pictures, notes, memories, and drawings.

Why It’s Useful: This is something new that I am trying, but I wanted to include it on this list as something a little bit more relaxing. Since this is my final semester of university, I wanted to create a spread to remember all the fun things that happen in between the stress of school! I’m hoping that after four months are up I will have plenty to look back on and remember from my time in school!

Variations: The blank space could be divided into sections, one for each different aspect of life. For example, one could be for social events, one could be for random funny occurrences, or one could be for good memories with family/a significant other. Another variation could be to do a spread like this for each month, rather than the whole semester at once.

Spread 6: Exam Game Plan

How I Set It Up: This final spread is one that I used last semester that really helped me to stay on track with my studying! At the top of each page, I write the class that the plan is for. On the left side, I have a box where I write down a checklist of all of the practice questions that I want to complete. At the bottom of this box is a little key for wether I understood the question, wether I almost understood it, or wether I didn’t understand it at all! On the right side is a box for all important information regarding the exam, such as the date, the location, the number of questions and the percentage of my final grade. Below that is a box where I list the topics that are testable. The last box is one where I write down any other notes, anything to motivate me to study for the class, and my plan of attack for the material!

Why It’s Useful: This spread is a way for me to determine exactly what I need to know for that specific final. It helps me to plan out my studying so that I can do it in the most effective way. The key at the bottom left really helps me to see what I need to study more and what I need to study less. The practice question checklist is my favourite part. This checklist also does not have to be only for finals, it could be used for midterms and other tests as well!

Variations: Again, if your exam will be more essay based, then the Practice Questions box on the left can be set up entirely different. You could write your plan there, a list of readings that you want to review, a list of terms that you need to memorize and etc… Another way to set this spread up would be to make it smaller, and then fit two different exams on one page. 

Conclusion:

All in all, I hope that these spreads are useful for you, or at least give you some ideas to create your own tools to improve your academic career. If you’ve started school for the year already, I hope that it’s going great and if you’re starting soon I hope that you have an awesome semester ahead of you!

If you would like to see what my regular bullet journal set up is while I’m in school, check out my September Plan With Me! (Click Here!)